5 iOS 26 features you'll wish you had sooner

iOS 26 is now available in beta for developers and the public, offering a number of notable changes and improvements. It already offers features that users may like.

ZDNET writes about five such innovations.

Liquid Glass

The new translucent visual layer makes the interface "glassy": icons appear more voluminous, elements — multi-layered, and menus — translucent. Despite the conflicting reviews, the effect is perceived both aesthetically and practically: a comparison of a test iPhone on iOS 26 with the usual system on iOS 18 clearly shows the difference.

Camera app

The interface has been simplified, leaving the two most commonly used modes — "Photo" and "Video" — as the default. Switching to "Portrait", "Panorama", "Slow Motion" or "Time Lapse" is done by swiping left/right or by tapping the mode switch.

Key settings are now at your fingertips: you can, as before, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, or simply tap the name of the current mode — a Liquid Glass-style menu will open with icons for flash, exposure, filters, timer, etc.

Photos app

In iOS 18, Apple combined the library and collections on one screen, which many found inconvenient.

It was fixed in iOS 26: there are two separate sections at the bottom again — "Library" and "Collections." By default, "Library" opens (viewing all photos, by year or month), and in "Collections", the photos are organized by memories, albums, people, and other criteria.

Screen your calls

To better protect against spam and fraud, a screening function has been added to the "Phone": a caller from an unfamiliar number will be asked to briefly indicate the reason for the call, and this information will appear on the screen - you decide whether to answer or not. How to enable: "Settings" — "Applications" — "Phone" — "Screen unknown calls" section — "Ask reason for call".

Set your default apps

Changing "defaults" is now easier: instead of going to each individual application, everything is collected in one menu. Path: "Settings" — "Applications" — "Default applications". Here you can choose default applications for mail, messages, calls and call filtering, browser, translator, passwords, contactless payments, and keyboard.

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